That Feeling
by BabeGirl
Summary: Steph is getting that feeling. Will a special suprise make her act on it? Rating changed for language and future possibilities.
1. Chapter 1

The sky grew darker as I sat on the curb, waiting for my ride, a house fire blazing behind me. It wasn't my fault. I knew that it was going to rain. I could tell. It was one of those things that I could feel. Like love, or when I ate too much birthday cake. It's that feeling in the pit of my stomach that means my inner self is trying to smack me in the face with some important tidbit that will change my life. The last time it happened this strongly was one year, three months and twenty-three days ago, when Scrog tied me up in my apartment, Julie right beside me, and told me that one of the two men I love was going to die. Now, you must be saying to yourself, "What kind of woman loves two men?" Well the real answer is a total coward. How do I know that? Simple. I am one.

I am a total coward. I cannot face up to the fact that I love two men, but I am only IN love with one of them. The one that is walking up to me, jacket draped over his arm for me, the mist that has begun to fall not even daring to touch him, while I am soaked to the core. The one that is looking at me, mouth sombre, but eyes twinkling in amusement at my misfortune. The one that says a single word and makes my heart melt, my knees go weak, and heat to shoot through me. The one that I can't have.

Why can't I have him? It is all his fault really. He says that he doesn't do relationships. His life doesn't lend itself to them. But really, whose does? I'm a bounty hunter for goodness sakes. I could get shot and killed at any moment. I have stalkers and crazies after me all the time. I can't even get my front door to lock half the time, but why bother? Everyone and their mothers breaks in at their leisure. Even him. Late night visits that he thinks I don't know about. The ones where he sits and stares at me for hours, looking more at peace then I ever thought possible, given his past. He always leaves before I wake up, before he thinks I wake up. I always know he's there. I can feel him there. We have a connection that, even in a semi-conscious state, draws me to him.

That's how I know he loves me back. We can't seem to be away from each other. Even in our worst fight, or when he's "in the wind," I can feel that connection and I know that he will, that we will, be okay. Which is why I call him every time I'm in trouble. It's the reason that I see him every day I can. It's the reason he's here now.

"Babe."

"Don't say it Ranger. Just don't say it. I know, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter does it again. She blows up another house, she burns off her eyebrows again, and she is a total screw up!" I am on the verge of tears, but I'm not about to let him know that. I turn away from him, refusing to meet his eyes, knowing that if I do, I'll breakdown, which I refuse to do in front of him. Again.

"Babe." I ignored him "Babe." It came from in front of me this time, a finger gently reaching out to tilt my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"What?" I know I sound childish, but I didn't care.

I thought he was going to say something, but he instead pulled the jacket around my shoulders, put his arms around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. It tore me apart. Soon, the tears were coming in sobs, soaking through Ranger's shirt. He was whispering to me in Spanish, calming me quickly.

Once I had gotten myself into a reasonably cohesive state, he led me to his Porsche, cuddled me into the soft leather seats, turned the engine over and drove away from the mad scene that had pushed me over the edge.

I quickly realized that we weren't headed in the direction of my apartment building, or in the direction of Haywood. "Ranger, where are we going?"

"Surprise, Babe."

"But..." He put my hand, pressed a kiss to the back of it, and placed it on his thigh, rubbing absent minded circles above my thumb, silencing my protests.

After several minutes of silence, my mouth got away from me again."What do you think about while you're driving?"

"Not hitting other cars." Great. Playful Ranger.

"No, seriously. What are you thinking about when you're "in the zone?" I wasn't trying to be a pain in the ass. I was actually curious.

"You really want to know?" I nodded. "Well, aside from not hitting cars," he said, smirking, "I think about my life, my family, the mistakes I've made."

"Mistakes? Like what?" I kind of felt like I was pushing the envelope, but I pressed on anyways. I figured that if he hadn't wanted to answer, he wouldn't have brought it up.

"Steph, I have made more mistakes in my life than any other person on the planet. Some of them I regret, some of them were necessary and accepted. Like Julie. She was a mistake, but I love her more than almost everyone."

"Almost everyone?" Probably it was something that Ranger hadn't wanted me to pick up on, but I was apparently detail oriented today.

The circles stopped on my hand, but he didn't let go. He was acting like kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "We're here."

It was a messy subject change, and it caught me off guard. "What?"

"We're here."

"What's here?" I was still confused. I was looking at a brick building, no real identifying features. "A dog fight?"

"Ya Babe, I brought you to a dog fight. Good guess."

"Sarcasm does not suit you." The smirk was back on his face.

"C'mon. I have a surprise for you." He came around to my door, helped me out of the car, took my hand again and led me into the building.

I was greeted by understated walls, fluffy carpets and a cascading waterfall. "You brought me to a spa?" I was flabbergasted. I hadn't been to a spa since my wedding to The Dick, and a man I cared about had never _brought_ me to a spa.

"I did, Babe. You have had a hard day. You deserve to relax. Don't worry about anything. I had Ella book everything for you." A dark-haired woman in a white masseuse smock walked over and handed me a robe, instructing me that, when I was ready, I should proceed to the room to my left to change. She then turned to Ranger, handing him a robe and instructing him to change in the room to his right.

"Excuse me?" Rangers face was priceless. I have never seen him look more confused.

"Yes, Mr. Manoso. You must change for the couple's massage that has been booked for you and Ms. Plum." With that, she turned and walked down a hallway to what I assumed to me the treatment rooms.

"Well, Ranger, you had better get changed. We don't want to be late for our massage." I turned to head into the change room, when Ranger's hand reached out, grabbed my elbow, spun me to him and his lips devoured mine. I felt my knees give out, thankful that Rangers arm had snaked around my waist to support me. After what seemed like hours, he nipped at my bottom lip and pulled away from me.

"What was that for?" My voice sounded all breathy, but I wasn't complaining. The man knew how to kiss.

"I just needed to remind myself that I was man enough to do this. Thanks for helping." He kissed the tip of my nose and walked away, leaving me standing in a hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

I wandered out of the change room, warm and comfy in the robe I had been given. It was nice to be dry again. A cup of tea had been left on a tray outside the door, and although I am usually a coffee drinker, I figured it was part of the experience, so I picked it up and took a sip. It sort of tasted like grass in a mug, but it wasn't terrible. Turning the corner, I noticed Ranger, casually leaning against the wall, a mug of tea steaming in his hand.

"Babe." He pushed off the wall and held a hand out to me.

I took his hand in mine and croaked out "Ranger." My mouth was dryer than the desert because I knew that all I was wearing under my robe was a hot pink thong, and that Ranger usually went commando. Naked Ranger had a way of turning my brain to mush.

We walked into a treatment room that was lit by hundreds of candles. Two white massage tables, towels draped over them, stood in the middle of the room. An opaque partition sat in the corner, and upon closer examination, we found a Jacuzzi tub filled with warm water and rose petals. Ranger and I stood looking at each other, neither one of us fully sure of what to do, when we heard a knock at the door. The door opened and the woman that had greeted us earlier stepped into the room.

"Mr. Manoso, Ms. Plum, I hope you are both comfortable. We usually ask our clients to begin with a whirlpool soak, to help loosen some of the tighter pressure in your body." She gestured toward the water in front of us, smiled, and then stepped out of the room.

I looked back at Ranger. He was naked under the robe, I was going to have to remove the thong if I didn't want it ruined, and we were going to sit in a bath together. His eyes were smouldering, telling me that he knew what I was thinking.

"Babe, it's nothing I haven't seen before, but if you're uncomfortable, we don't have to stay." I debated my options. I could leave now, pretend nothing happened, and nothing would change. But there was that feeling again, telling me that if I stayed, my life would change. Plus, I would get to see Ranger naked.

"No, I'm fine. Let's stay. I could use the time to relax." Plus, I would get to see Ranger naked.

Ranger looked at me, pulled me towards him and whispered "Babe, if you wanted to see that, all you had to do was ask."

Great, my mouth is working on its own again. Ranger turned away from me, providing me some privacy. I quickly removed the thong and tossed it behind a pile of towels. Ranger turned back to me, unbelted my robe, letting it fall open. His eyes raked over my body as he slid the robe down my arms and let it pool on the floor. Holding out a hand, he helped me into the calming waters. He made quick work of his own robe, sinking into the water behind me. He guided me through the water so I was sitting on his lap, my back to his front, my legs floating aimlessly in the water. He took both my hands and used my fingers to trace mindless patterns in my thighs. We sat for several long moments, not saying anything, not needing to say anything. We just sat, wrapped up in each other, until a thought popped back into my head.

"Ranger?" I felt a rumble of acknowledgement in his chest. "You said you loved Julie more than _almost_ everyone. What did you mean?"

"Can't tell you Babe." He sounded almost sleepy, like he had let himself relax for once.

"Why not?" We were both talking in hushed tones, and while I didn't want to ruin the moment, I felt like I had to get this from him while his guard was down.

"Morelli. You're still with him. It wouldn't be right." I didn't say anything else. I knew what he meant. The only person that he loved more than Julie was me. The person right here with him, the person he calls when he needs help (that is within my skill set), the person who he can't have because I won't let him. All this time I thought that it was Ranger's fault we weren't in a relationship, only to now realize that it was mine. I have been too afraid to let him into my life, and not only was it hurting me, it was hurting him.

The one thing I had always told myself was to never hurt the one you love. Dickie had done it to me, and now I was doing it to Ranger. I knew something had to change. I was about to say something more when another knock at the door told us that it was time for the actual massage. I felt Ranger sigh behind me, hook an arm under my knees, one behind my shoulders and lift me out of the water. I should have been more uncomfortable being so exposed, but the sudden cold air mixing with the heat coming off Ranger's body had me in a state.

I turned my head and pressed a kiss to the thudding pulse in Ranger neck. I felt his step falter, and in a moment of bravery, I ran the tip off my tongue along the edge of his jaw. He pulled his head back and stared into my eyes. It was like the world stopped. All that existed in the entire universe was Ranger and I. The electricity in the room was palpable, the lust was heavy, but there was something more. An extra emotion that I couldn't quite place. Love? Whatever it was, it was pulling our heads together, waiting to make itself known. Our lips were almost touching. I could feel Rangers breath fanning warm across my face, getting closer and closer.

"Oh!" Our heads swivelled in the direction that the noise came from. A young woman, no more than twenty-two, had come into the room. "I'm so sorry. I knocked and when I didn't get an answer I assumed..." she trailed off. I was suddenly very aware that not only was I naked, Ranger was also, and the girl was staring. Jealousy roared inside of me.

"If you didn't get an answer, you should have waited. Now if you don't mind, we clearly need another moment without you here." I levelled her with a possessive stare, clearly showing her that Ranger was mine and she should leave. Quickly.

"Right. I'm sorry. I Just...sorry." She stepped out of the room.

"Babe. You terrified her." He smiled down at me. "Jealous?"

"Well, she was staring, and that's rude. I mean, I get that you are worthy of staring at, but couldn't she be a little more discreet? Did her mother teach her nothing? I mean..." I was cut off by Ranger's mouth 

covering my own. I sank into the kiss, melting into Ranger's chest. A moan floated through my throat, and Ranger tightened his hold on me. His tongue slipped into my mouth, caressing my own, and I am pretty sure I lost consciousness.

Ranger set me down on the massage table and pulled away from me "We don't want to scare the poor girl again now do we?" He flashed me the full 200-watts before letting me turn over, covering me with the sheet provided and pressing a kiss between my shoulder blades. I shivered, and I heard Ranger chuckle as he climbed onto his own table and covering himself and calling that it was okay to come in. I noticed that the young girl didn't come back, being replaced by two fairly attractive men. They didn't hold a candle to Ranger, but most women wouldn't kick them out of bed.

One of the men turned on a soft soundtrack of flutes and a flowing river before beginning to spread scented oil across my back.

"Is the pressure alright?" I answered with an affirmative moan. This felt really good. Every stalker, every crazy relative, and every blown up car was being worked out of my pressure points by this strangers magic hands. I let myself drift away, completely forgetting that anyone else was in the room. I imagined myself on a beach, at sunset, the water crashing around my feet, Ranger shirtless beside me. I moaned again.

Suddenly, a very familiar set of hands replaced those of the unknown stranger.

"Ranger, what are you doing?" I turned my head enough to realize that the two masseuses had left the room, once again leaving Ranger and me alone.

"Babe, the only person who is going to make you sound like that is me. Relax." He worked his hands across my shoulders, paying special attention to the tight knots at the nape of my neck. His palms moved down my spine, leaving a tingle in their wake. His fingers grazed the top of the sheet covering me and I let out a throaty moan. Having his hands on me was driving me insane. He moved to my legs, massaging upwards past my knees and thighs, stopping just short of where I wanted him the most. He moved n to my arms, and I squirmed. I was overheated and enjoying this far too much. I felt the tips of his fingers graze the side of my breast and I took a sharp breath. I had to do something before I lost total control and tackled him to the ground. I was still technically with Morelli, and I wanted to be able to tell him, honestly, that I had never cheated on him.

"What about your massage?" His hands kept moving, but the pressure lightened.

"I'm not really a massage type guy Babe."

"Well I am all about fairness, so go lie down and let me work on you."

"Babe."

"Please?" I heard him sigh, press another kiss to the nape of my neck, then remove his hands. I gave him a moment to resituate himself on the massage table before creating a wrap with the sheet and standing. 

I found more of the scented oil, poured some in my hands and got down to business. Working from the bottom of Rangers back, I traced the muscles with my fingers, paying attention to the worst tension spots that I felt. I remembered tracing his scars on our one night together, but there were a few new ones. I bent down and pressed a kiss to each new scar I came across, and each time I felt him shiver slightly. I worked my hands across his broad shoulders, taking a moment to feel the beating of his heart and the slow in and out of his breath. I pulled the leather tie out of his hair, which he had allowed to grow out again. I lightly ran my fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of it cascading over my skin. The entire time, I was mesmerized by the stark contrast of our skin tones. Light and Dark. Yin and Yang. Two halves of the same whole.

Ranger cleared his throat before I realized that my hands had stopped moving. "Babe, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just zoned out for a minute." Ranger sat up, carefully adjusting the sheet around him.

He reached out a hand to me and pulled so I was standing between his legs. He brushed a thumb across my cheek, and I was surprised to see it was wet when he pulled away. "If you're fine, then why are you crying?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Ranger, we need to talk."

"What is it, Steph? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I need to talk to Joe first. Can we have dinner tonight?" I knew that if I didn't do this now, I may never have the chance again. It was finally time for me to be a grown up.

"Sure. Haywood at eight?" I nodded at him, not trusting my voice. He pulled me to him again, kissing the tears off my cheeks, before gathering our robes, wrapping me in mine and leading out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

This was not going to be good. I could feel it. That stupid feeling was back again. There my life goes, changing again.

In the short moments that it had taken me to get dressed, Ranger had gotten dressed, returned our dirty robes and our tea mugs and dealt with the bill. I seriously think that he has super powers. He met me at the door, held a hand out to me and we walked out into the gradually dimming afternoon sun.

I had Ranger drop me off at Morelli's house, considering my most recent car had gone to car heaven last week. He gave my hand, which he had held the entire ride over, a reassuring squeeze, then brought it to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to my palm. "You know how to get in touch with me. Call if you need anything." With a final squeeze, Ranger let go of my hand, letting me step out of the car. I stood at the curb as he drove away, and then turned around to face my fate.

Joseph Morelli. He was the first boy that I had allowed into my heart and my bed. My life was a lot different back then, but after all this time, I had finally grown up. I'm not the same person I was when I was sixteen, when Joe had taken my virginity and my heart. Somewhere along the line, my heart split in two, before finally jumping of the S.S. Morelli for good. I'm not sure how it happened, but it did, and now I had to deal with the consequences. With a sigh, I walked up to the door and knocked.

Joe opened the door and levelled me with a stare. "Stephanie." That did not sound good.

"Joe. Are you alright?" I was worried. He still hadn't moved aside so I could come in, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath and clothing.

"Oh I'm fine. Why don't you come inside and I'll explain how fine I am." He shifted aside, but only far enough for me to squeeze past him. I took a step back, preparing to leave.

"I think that I should come back later. You don't seem well. I should go." I took another step back, my hands in front of me defensively.

"_I think_ that we need to talk now." He reached out and grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the house, slamming the door behind us. He unceremoniously shoved me into the living room and I tripped over the coffee table, flopping gracelessly onto the sofa.

Joe laughed. Not a warm, amused laughter, but a cold, hard laughter that forced a shiver down my spine. "So, _Babe_, I got a call from my cousin Jasmine. Maybe you remember her? Young, blonde, works at a spa across town?" An image flashed through my mind. The young girl, the bath, Ranger and I... Shit.

"Joe I..."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I am fucking sick of your excuses! How long Steph? How long have you been screwing him behind my back?" He was standing over me now, eyes glaring, and his face red with anger.

"Joe, I have never, ever cheated on you. I would never do that." I was trying to remain calm, but on the inside, I was terrified. I had never see Joe this angry, or this drunk. In his family, it was a dangerous combination.

"Bullshit! I've heard the rumours. I know about your little pre-distraction ritual, and about the alley behind the bonds office, and about today's little romp. So don't think that I am going to believe a damn word you say." He turned away from me and went into the kitchen.

I followed him and saw him leaning into the fridge, pulling out a beer. The counter was littered with empty bottles. I counted quickly. Ten since his cousin called him, which was no more than two hours ago. Joe is no lightweight, but even for him that is excessive.

"Joe, I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. It just did. Everything just..." Joe whirled around to face me.

"Sorry? You're sorry? I've spent years trying to get you to come to your senses and leave him alone! Do you have any idea about who he is, or what he does? He kills people Steph! Jesus, he has killed more people than you can even imagine! Do you know how? His specialty?" Joe was stalking towards me, an evil gleam in his eye. "He uses a knife. He takes a knife, creeps up behind someone and slits their throat. People that have families, that are leaving them behind. Sure, it's his job, but how can you let him touch you when you know that those same hands have killed hundreds of people? How can you live with yourself?"

I was openly crying, kneeling on the floor, begging for Joe to just stop. Through my tear filled haze, I saw Joe pick up a knife and looked at it.

"Can you imagine what that feels like? To feel a blade sliding across your skin? Do you know what that feels like? Do you?" He was standing over me, screaming down at me. It only took an instant, a single second, for his arm to flick out and for the blade of the knife to slide across the skin of my upper arm. I felt the blood rush out of the wound, and for a moment, everything stopped.

Both Joe and I stared at the blood running down my arm. He dropped the knife and started to back away, shaking his head, unable to believe what he had done. He knocked over the half-full beer bottle, and then slid in the amber liquid. His feet flew out from under him and I heard his head make contact with the counter top.

I was quickly losing feeling in my arm, and blackness was blurring the edge of my vision. Everything was starting to move slower as I fumbled in my pocket for my cell phone. I pushed one on my speed dial before falling over. I heard a voice calling me through the phone before I finally blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm sorry it took so long to update. Life got in the way of my writing. But here it is for you. Enjoy._

I wrestled my way back to a semi-conscious state when I felt myself get lifted off the floor. I was vaguely aware of someone talking to me, but the darkness that had filled my head didn't let me respond, or even decipher the words. I felt the hair on my arms stand up, and in some deep recess of my mind, I knew that I was going to be alright.

I tried to open my eyes, but the slightest bit of light made my eyes burn and tear. I scrunched my face up in an effort to block out more of the offensive demon light, and I felt the wall I was leaning against sag in relief. Wait, walls can't sag in relief. I grabbed my mental feather duster and banished some of the cobwebs from my mind, letting the musical sound of a voice filter into my ears.

"Steph? Can you hear me? Just let me know if you understand me." There was desperation in the voice, almost pleading, that compelled me to move my head a fraction of an inch to indicate that I understood.

That tiny movement sent shockwaves of pain rocketing through my body, and I let out a whimper. I was pulled closer to a solid chest and was gently rotated so that much of the pressure was taken off my arm the epicentre of the pain.

What had happened? The cobwebs blurred much of my recollection of...whatever had triggered them. I was living completely in the moment, and the moment hurt.

_Alright Stephanie, open your eyes. _My internal mother was poking at me, telling me to be a grown up. The outside voice was telling me the same thing.

"Come on Steph. Let me see those eyes, let me see into that beautiful soul of yours." I took a breath, ignoring the pain it caused me, and cracked my eyes open. The light flooded in and caused the tears to spill over, but I fought the urge to snap my eyelids shut again. My vision swam into focus, and I was met by the endless depths of Ranger's eyes.

"Babe." The word was released on a sigh and his eyes closed. His forehead pressed gently against my own, and for a moment, all we did was breathe.

Much as it pained me to end the moment, I had to. "Carlos."

His head pulled back and his eyes snapped open. I was worried that he would get mad at me for not using his street name, but it had slid off of my tongue with such ease; it had shocked both of us.

He considered me for a moment before the corner of his lips twitched and pulled into a full blown grin. "I love to hear my name on your lips." I released a breath, then remembered the fact that my body felt like I had bungee jumped without the bungee, and released the air more slowly.

"Carlos, what happened? I feel like death warmed over." I bet I looked it too. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I probably looked like crap, and I tried to reach up to smooth my hair, only to find my arm bandaged and tied in a sling to my body.

It all came back to me in a rush. The fight, the knife, the cut... Well that explained my arm, but what about the rest of me?

"Babe, it looks like Morelli went too far this time, and by the look on your face, I'd say you remember most of it. Up until you blacked out, right?" I nodded. "Well, from what I can guess, Morelli tried to wake you up, violently I might add, but when he couldn't, he ran. I have Tank looking for him now."

My gut wretched at the thought of what Tank would do to Joe when he found him and the thought of what Ranger would do had my head spinning. I know that he deserved it, but I didn't want him to get killed on my account.

"Carlos, when you find Joe, please do not kill him. I know that sounds all paranoid, but...please?"

The corners of his mouth tipped upwards. "Don't worry, Babe. I have plans for Morelli that involve him being very much alive."

I didn't really like the sounds of that, but as long as murder was out of the question, I was comfortable with whatever.

"Who else is here? I know that Tank is gone, but the bandage looks professional, and since we aren't at the hospital, I am guessing that Bobby is around somewhere?" I made an evidently futile attempt to crawl out of Ranger's lap, but he wasn't having any of it. He tightened his grip of my waist, securing me in his embrace.

"The entire core team is here. When I called the control room to find Bobby, big mouth Lester told everyone what was going on and they all dropped everything and came running." The thought that the Merry Men cared so much had me on the verge of tears, but I managed to control myself.

Ranger had buried his face in my hair, and I heard him talking through the curls. "Dios, Steph. When you called and didn't say anything, I thought..." His voice hitched and he stopped. His breathing was ragged, and the full realization of what had happened hit me like a brick wall.

It would have been so easy for Joe to have killed me. If he had felt like it, he could have flicked that knife across my throat and had the pleasure of saying that I had been his to the end. Well, at least in his mind I was his. My heart had belonged to Carlos since... I can't even remember. It seemed like even before we met, I had been unconsciously invested in our relationship. I was always holding out for something better, and now that it was within my reach, I had almost lost it.

I had tried to be brave up to this point, but at that final thought, I lost all control. The tears that I was trying to hold back poured across my skin, and sobs wracked my body. I clawed at Ranger's chest until he let me curl into him. I pressed myself to his body, desperate for the connection. He ran his hands up and down my spine, trying to calm me, but to no affect. He whispered to me in Spanish, but I barely heard him. There was nothing in my mind except how close I was to losing everything.

I felt another hand on my back, then another. Another settled on my shoulder. I abruptly stopped crying and peeked over my shoulder. Tank, Lester and Bobby were behind us, each with a hand there to comfort me. They were my protectors, my friends, my brothers, the ones that were always there for me. Like guardian angels, they surrounded me. All of them smiled at me.

Tank was the first to break the silence. "Bomber, Boss man, I found Morelli. I took him back to Haywood and put him in one of the holding cells. I thought you might want to talk to him before we took him to the station."

I looked back at Ranger. I wasn't sure I could handle talking to Morelli right now, at least not alone.

The brown pools stared back at me. "Don't worry, babe. I'll be right there with you the whole time."

Thank God for ESP.


	5. Chapter 5

We drove back to Haywood, my hand cradled against Ranger's thigh, my eyes closed, allowing myself a moment of peace before what I knew was going to be a hard conversation ahead.

All too soon, I felt the car roll to a gentle stop in the garage. I sighed, not wanting to get out and face reality. I was content to just sit in the car and avoid the real world. Ranger didn't seem to mind. He just rubbed circles on my hand, waiting for me to give the nod for us to head inside. I knew that I had to deal eventually, and the sooner I did, the sooner this whole day would be over. I sighed again and opened my eyes.

"I guess we should deal with this now." I pulled my hand out of Rangers grasp and stepped out of the car. He was there to meet me beside the elevator, pulling me to cuddle into him, my back to his front, his arms wrapping me in a protective shield. It was a comforting gesture, and I appreciated it. At the same time, the contact was warming my body in an all too comfortable way. I realized, in the midst of everything that had happened today, I still hadn't had a chance to talk to Ranger. Great, one more emotional talk to add to the roster.

The elevator doors slid open on the third floor. I hadn't spent much time here in the past, but I knew that the Rangeman holding cells were here. They were used for skips that couldn't be returned to their rightful law enforcement personnel immediately. They weren't used often, but here I was, strolling down the hallway like I was visiting a prisoner on death row. I guess that after today, Joe's life, professionally at least, would be over. So I guess my feeling wasn't that far off.

We stopped in front of a door with a small window in the middle. Through the window I saw Joe sitting on the small bed, staring at the wall. His lip was cut and he had the makings of a black eye. Apparently Tank hadn't been overly kind when he found him. I looked at Ranger, who had yet to leave my side.

"I don't know if I can go in there."Any courage that I had thought I possessed was gone, replaced by a heavy feeling in my stomach.

"Babe, I'll be right beside you. I'll always be right beside you, no matter what." I felt there was a double meaning to the words, but I couldn't focus on that right now. I looked back at the door, took a deep breath, and turned the handle.

The room was small for one person, and with three, it was downright cramped. The moment I stepped through the door, Joe scrambled to his feet, his eyes travelling to the bandage covering my arm.

"Christ, Steph, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I just..."

"Save it Joe. I don't want to hear your excuses anymore. You could have killed me. Do you understand that? I never want to see you again. I never want to hear your voice, I never want an update on your life, and I don't want anything from you ever again." There. The words I had been too afraid to say for almost two years hung in the air between us. No one said anything for a moment.

"Jesus Cupcake. What are people going to say? It was a mistake. Stop being a whiney bitch about it and come home with me."

"Excuse me? You sliced my arm open, you insulted not only me, but someone I care deeply about, and you tried to wake me by beating me up. What part of that do you expect me to forgive?"

"Someone you care about? You mean the murder-machine over here?" He nodded in Rangers general direction. "The only reason he came to help you at all was so he could look like the saviour and get in your pants. All he wants is a fuck buddy. Just be a good little Burg girl and marry me, so we can both move on with our lives."

The second the words left his mouth, Morelli was slammed against the wall, held by a pair of strong Cuban hands.

"Morelli," Ranger all but growled at him, "You listen to me. Stephanie will never be anyone's _fuck buddy_, like you and Terry. Or was I not supposed to mention that little tidbit? You don't deserve to breathe the same air as someone so caring and forgiving as my Babe." I was amazed at the self-control Ranger was showing, because I could tell that all he wanted to do was beat Morelli to a bloody pulp.

He lifted Joe a little higher off the floor, the veins in his neck straining with anger. "You will never, EVER, come near Stephanie ever again, or I will personally kill you. There is no excuse for your behaviour today, or any other day for that matter. You will go to the police station with Tank, hand in your resignation and turn yourself in for Stephanie's assault. After the trial, because there will be a long, painful trial, if you aren't rotting in a jail cell, you will leave Trenton. Forever. Do you understand me?" Each of the final words was punctuated by Joe being slammed into the wall.

Apparently Joe had a death wish, because as soon as Ranger released him, he growled back "Why don't you just mind your own business, Manoso? What happens between me and Steph has nothing to do with you."

"Stephanie's well being has everything to do with me. You crossed a line today Morelli, and you showed everyone that the only man in this room that really cares about Steph is about to walk out with her." With that, Ranger turned his back on Morelli and strode towards me, ready to leave.

I gasped as I saw Joe charge at Ranger's back. Ranger spun on his heel and his fist made contact with Morelli's stomach, forcing him to double over and kneel. Ranger stared down at him for a moment, and then looked back at me.

"Ready to go?" I nodded, unable to speak. He snaked an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room.

Once we were in the elevator, I released a sigh and sagged against Ranger. He wound an arm around my waist and I moulded myself to his side. My head was pillowed on his shoulder and I was trying hard to control my breathing. I was emotionally drained, and I was making me physically weak. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a little ball and sleep. The elevator was creeping up to the seventh floor, and I was ready for a nap.

"Carlos?"

"Babe."

"Thanks for being there for me."

"Anytime Babe."

"I know that I said I wanted to talk to you tonight, but it's been a long day. Could it maybe wait until tomorrow? I really want to sleep." I silently added that I didn't want to drive back to my apartment, just to test the ESP theory.

I felt Ranger grin as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "Of course Babe. You could stay here tonight if you didn't want to drive home."

I just nodded my approval of the plan as the elevator doors slip open in the hallway leading to Ranger's apartment. Ella had left a light dinner on the breakfast bar, so Ranger and I ate on the couch.

While Ranger tided the dishes, I slipped into the shower, turning the water up to an almost punishing temperature. It scalded me as I stepped in, but as soon as I was used to it, the intense heat felt good. I was slowly sanitizing myself of the day's events. I stood under the cascading spray for what seemed like hours, waiting for it to turn cold like the shower in my apartment, but when it didn't happen, I cursed the mockery of the universe and used Ranger's shampoo and body wash, momentarily losing myself in the essence of Ranger. I flipped the spray off, shocked by the sudden chill, but battled it by commandeering Ranger's impossibly fluffy robe.

Ranger looked up at me when I walked back into the bedroom. "Babe, you were in there for almost an hour. I was afraid you had drowned." He handed me one of his t-shirts, smirking, and a pair of boxers, left over from when I had stayed here before.

"Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily." I climbed into the bed, cuddling myself into the impossibly soft pillows and sheets.

Ranger climbed in beside me, settled himself with an arm around my waist and a leg thrown over mine. "I wouldn't want it to be that easy."

I realized that in the span of a little more than an hour, Ranger and I had fallen into a comfortable state of cohabitation. I wanted to say something, put it out in the open, but the tug of exhaustion was just too strong. I felt a lingering kiss press against my shoulder and I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_So I don't usually work form a male perspective, but this was begging to be written, so here it is_.

**Ranger's POV**

I pressed a kiss to Steph's shoulder, sighed and climbed out of the warm bed. I slid into a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, stretching my tight muscles and rolling my neck. I brushed the hair off of Stephanie's forehead and watched the gentle rise and fall of her breath as she snuggled into the sheets. I never noticed the softness of the sheets that Ella had bought until Steph had stayed in my apartment. I never really noticed anything above the bare minimum of life, nothing above the necessities until Steph walked into that diner years ago. Now, it was like colours were brighter, sounds were sharper and my life finally had a purpose, above being a killing machine for the government.

I loved her. At the risk of sounding like a love sick teenager, I had known I loved Steph since the moment I laid eyes in her. But she was with the cop. That fucking cop. Everyone knew he was trouble, even his own mother warned girls to stay away from him. Every girl but Stephanie. She was caught up in his web of infidelity. The nights that she was out on a job, he was out with one of the prissy sluts that the Burg has churned out for as long as anyone can remember. How Steph had never known about his little indiscretions, I will never know.

This time, though, he was going to pay for his actions. He had gone too far. I stood up, stalking silently through our apartment. Our apartment. That came all too easily. In the last few hours, Steph and I had fallen into a comfortable pattern of cohabitation, and I had no desire to end it. I shook myself out of my thoughts, and crept out the door.

Feeling the need to reach my goal quickly, I skipped the elevator and jogged down the stairs to the third floor. I took a breath and walked up to the third cell on the left. It was larger than the last one, giving me enough space to beat the bloody pulp out of Morelli, but not enough room for him to get away from me. There was nowhere for him to run.

I looked in the window and saw his sleeping form on the bed. Anger bubbled inside me. How could he sleep after what he had done to my Babe?

I opened the door, not worrying about being quiet. I didn't need too. Morelli slept like the dead. Now there is an interesting thought. Much as I would like to kill him, I promised Steph I wouldn't. I would have to settle for almost killing him.

I walked over to the bed, grabbed Morelli by the back of his wrinkled shirt and tossed him against the nearest wall.

"Morning Sunshine." I all but growled at him as his eyes popped open.

"What the fuck?!" He leapt to his feet, itching for a fight. Today was his lucky day. A fight was exactly what he was going to get.

"I promised Steph I wouldn't kill you, but she has no problem with me teaching you a much needed lesson." We were circling each other, both primed for the attack. I get bored rather easily, so I made the first move.

I lunged at Morelli's stomach, catching him square and pushing him into the wall. I hear the air whoosh out of his body and took the moment to stand up, catching my fist on his jaw as I did so. He shook off the unexpected attack and roared as he charged at me. I side stepped, forcing him to run into the opposite wall.

He was in a blind rage, not thinking about his attacks, so he was easy to overtake. I, on the other hand, was calculated in my anger, always aware of my actions and not expending more energy than was necessary.

It worked out in my favour. Not only did Morelli end up inflicting most of the damage himself, but he got tired quickly. It was almost too easy, and with a flick of my leg, I caught the soft spot behind his knees, forcing him to the floor in front of me. I crouched down in front of him.

"When I told you that I would kill you if you ever came near Stephanie, I wasn't just talking shit. I've killed to protect her before, and I have no problem doing it again." I pulled my switchblade out of its case on the waistband of my sweatpants. "You were dumb today Morelli. Because not only does Steph hate you, and not only do I hate you, but you have every single person that works for me plotting your death. One false move and we will hear about it. We have connections around the world. You won't sneeze in Steph's direction without me hearing about it. If I do hear about it, I will be on your ass so fast, and no one will even miss you. You'll just fade away."

I reached my arm out, placing to blade of the knife against Morelli's throat. I applied enough pressure to get my point across, and to draw a single drop of blood onto the tip of the blade.

"Tank will be here soon to take you to the hospital then to the station. Remember Morelli, anything you say or do, I will know." I stood up, flicking the blade across his arm as I did so. He cried out in pain and anger as I turned on my heel and walked out the door.

"Boss." Tank met me in the hallway.

"Get him out of here. Take the stairs, and if he happens to fall down them, well sometimes he is just clumsy." He nodded at me and headed toward the cell.

I stood waiting for the elevator to take me back to my Babe. I knew I would have to tell her what happened, before she heard about Morelli's unfortunate accident through the grapevine. I knew she wouldn't be mad at me. We both knew that Morelli was getting what he deserved.

I climbed into the elevator and rode silently to the seventh floor. I was surprised to see Steph standing in the hallway when the doors opened. She walked over to me, settling herself into my arms.

"I woke up and you weren't there." She was talking against my chest, her lips moving over my thudding heart. "He isn't dead right? You promised me that you weren't going to kill him."

I laughed, despite my effort not to. "No Babe, I didn't kill him, much as he deserved it. He is just in slightly less than mint condition." I felt her smile before she looked up at me, her blue eyes shining.

"I don't like waking up to an empty bed. I never have." Despite her light tone, her eyes were touched by uncertainty. I kissed each of her eyelids gently and lifted her into my arms. She locked her ankles around my waist and I strode into the apartment, allowing her to kick the door closed behind us.

"Believe me, Babe, I don't like leaving you to wake up alone." I placed her gently on the bed, tucked her back under the sheets and claimed in beside her. She threw her leg over mine and settled herself so that she was half on top of me, her head pillowed over my heart. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pressed a kiss to her curls and allowed us both to drift into a gentle sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up snuggled in the crook of Ranger's arm.

The few times that I had woken up with Ranger in the past, I would be sprawled across his chest with my forehead pressed against his neck. Today, I had been carefully positioned so that an ice pack was caught between the cut at the top of my arm, and the mocha arm that was holding me securely against a warm body. A _very_ warm body, if the, ahem, pressure against my ass was any indication. The steady rhythm of Ranger's breathing told me that the rest of him was still asleep. After yesterday, I didn't blame him for being exhausted.

The events of the past day started to creep into my mind. All the memories consisted of were flashes of colour; the red blood seeping down my arm, the brown beer bottle spinning on the floor, the white bandage on my arm. Once the colours started to solidify into images and scenes, I pushed them all into a dark corner of my mind. I was so not ready to go there yet.

I was, however, ready for a bathroom. I really had to pee. I tried to wiggle out from under Ranger's arm, but that was like trying to uncoil a cobra. Plus, I could barely move my arm without blinding pain rushing through my whole body. After several attempts, I ended up exhausted and panting. Somehow, Ranger was still sleeping. Oh my god. This is bad. Really Bad. I hadn't wet the bad since I was five, but right now I was dangerously close. I had to wake Ranger up.

I managed to crane my neck around enough to assess my situation. Ranger and I were pressed so close together, I could barely tell where he ended and I began. I had my head pillowed on one of his arms, and the other one was hanging across my upper body, leaving his hand above my breast. An idea struck me. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to ignore the pain that came with it, and pressed my breast into Ranger's hand. In the same movement, I ground my ass against his growing erection, and moaned. _HA!_ Instantly, I felt a reaction. Fingers flexed against my chest, and Ranger stretched against me like a giant cat. As I felt the rumble flow through his chest, I took advantage of his loosened grip, squirmed out of his arms and made a beeline for the washroom.

I almost cried with relief. After dealing with the necessary business, I washed my hands and grabbed a couple of Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet. I swallowed them and looked at myself in the mirror.

A squeak popped out of my mouth at the sight looking back at me. My hair was standing straight up in places, and it was flattened to my head everywhere else. I had bruises blossoming all over my body, the worst being around my ribcage and stomach. There were tiny scrapes sprinkled everywhere, and a glaring white bandage sat above my left elbow. I took a breath and peeled back the bandage.

The cut looked about four or five inches long, with the crisscross of stitches running the length of it. It was red and angry looking, and the sight of it had black dots dancing in front of my eyes. I flipped the lid down on the toilet and sat down hard, dropping my head between my knees.

A warm hand settled against the back of my neck, and I pressed against it. After several moments, I had my breathing under control and the world had stopped spinning. I sat back and stared blankly across at the towel rack. Ranger was leaning against the sink, looking at me. We didn't say anything for a long time, and tears were rolling down my face. Ranger seemed to sense that I needed some space, and instead of wrapping me up in his arms like he would normally do, he just put a hand on my shoulder and rubbed circles with his thumb. I just looked down at my hands in my lap and cried.

I don't know how long we stayed like that. Last night, when I was at crying at Morelli's house, I had felt small and venerable. Now, feeling less venerable, I was shedding the last tears I would ever cry for Morelli and our relationship. I sniffled, dabbed my eyes with a piece of toilet paper and stood up. Ranger slung an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss into my hair.

"Proud of you, Babe."

We wandered out to the kitchen and Ranger nudged me onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

"I gave Ella the day off, so I am your personal chef today. What can I make for you?" He pulled an apron off a hook near the fridge, put it on and put on a ridiculous chef's hat, the kind with the floppy white puff on top.

I laughed. "You look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, but hotter." I pulled the hat off his head and placed it on my own, where it proceeded to slip down to rest on my nose. Ranger's laughter boomed off the walls. He plopped a kiss on the tip of my nose and pulled the hat back up, readjusting it to sit on my head.

I smiled at him and placed my order for blueberry pancakes. He started to rummage around the cupboards, pulling out ingredients, when there was a knock at the door. I hopped up to answer it.

Bobby, Lester and Tank stood in the hall. At least I think it was them. They were holding a bouquet of flowers so big; I couldn't see them from the waist up. Lester poked his head around the side and grinned at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Beautiful, looks likes you're feeling better." I just smiled some more and moved to the side to let them in.

Together, they walked over to the coffee table and placed the arrangement down. We all looked at it for a moment. It covered most of the TV. Ranger walked out of the kitchen, looked at the four of us, then at the flowers and just shook his head.

"I'm putting on more pancakes." With that, he walked back into the kitchen, the corners of his lips tipped up ever so slightly.

Tank tugged me into a hug, mindful of my stitches. I was passed around the three of them, and once I reached Bobby, he gently pulled me to the sofa, where I was told to sit. He grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen and doctored my wound before Ranger called us for breakfast.

We were all sitting aroundthe table in the dining room when Lester broke the silence. "So, Steph, how long do we get the pleasure of your staying here?"

I looked over at Ranger who just smiled and said "Up to you, babe."

_Okay, okay, I know that it was short and a really long time coming, but now I'm back at school, so I hope to be able to update more frequently._


	8. Chapter 8

The pancakes suddenly felt heavy in my stomach. The words were itching at my throat. I wanted to stay forever. I felt safe here, tucked away from the world. I was tired of people breaking in my apartment, and I was tired of always being a little bit afraid. The only time I was completely relaxed was when I am here, at Haywood, surrounded by Ranger and the Merry Men.

I realized I had been silent for an uncomfortable amount of time, staring at my pancakes. I had counted the twenty-three blueberries over and over, and everyone else had nearly finished. I looked up and caught Ranger's eye. He inclined his head toward his office, indicating that we could go in there and have a minute to talk. A spoonful of butter was launched from Lester's spoon and hit Bobby square in the forehead, and I accepted the offer of quiet by all but launching myself out of my chair.

Ranger closed the door behind us, cutting off the noise from the dining room. I flopped down in the executive office chair, and Ranger leaned a hip on the edge of the desk, arms folded over his chest, a smile hinting around his lips as he looked down at me.

"Looking a little freaked there, Babe."

I found a piece of string hanging off the edge of my t-shirt and picked at it, refusing to meet his eyes. He could always tell exactly what I was thinking, and Ranger doesn't do relationships. Personally, I thought that we already had something that looked suspiciously like a relationship to the rest of the world. I was nervous to admit, out loud, that I loved Ranger. I would much rather live with that knowledge all tucked away and leave things the way they were than to say it and risk losing Ranger as a friend, but somehow I don't think that will fly anymore.

My head was starting to hurt because of all the thinking I was doing, but I was granted a reprieve when the chair I was sitting in was rolled over towards the sofa and spun around, so that I was facing Ranger, who was sitting on said sofa. I was right at eye level, so it was almost impossible to hide anymore.

"Steph, talk to me." He looked at me like I was the most important person in the world. He pulled my hands away from the tiny bit of string and held them. His hands were warm and had so much strength in them, but he handled me carefully, like I would break at the slightest pressure.

I took a breath. "Ranger, I'm going to say something, and I really don't want you to get mad at me, because I know how you feel already. So I'm just going to say it and then leave and you won't ever have to see me again, because seeing you after saying what I'm going to say would just be way to hard based on how I already know you feel. I mean..." A squeeze on my hands let me know that I was rambling. Right. I pulled my hands out of his, stood and started pacing the room.

"Ranger, these last few days have been some of the best and worst of my life. Well, the worst part is pretty self explanatory. They've been the best because of you, and how great you have been to me. From the spa, to how you handled the whole thing with Joe, to the fact that you just made me blueberry pancakes without even complaining that they will kill me. Plus you ate some! You have been fantastic, but I don't think I can stay here. Not because I don't love it here, but because I do. I love it here, I love the building, and your apartment, and the guys, and..." I looked straight into his eyes, trying to emphasize how serious I was" ...I love you." There, I said it. I said it and I ran.

When I say ran, I don't mean I left gracefully, collecting my things as I left and closing the door behind me. I mean I _ran_. I hauled ass out of the office and booked it through the living room and dining room, past the Three Stooges, whose mouths fell open as I whooshed past, and out the front door. I even chose to forgo the elevator in favour of the stairs, amazed that I made it down seven flights, barefoot, without tripping once.

I skidded into the garage and stopped, my breathing heavy and coming in short pants. I didn't have a car. My car had gone to car heaven in my latest explosive disaster and Ranger had been driving me around since. Shit.

_Okay, think Stephanie_. I could walk! My arm was injured, not my legs. It's not that far of a walk from here to my apartment. Who cares that I'm barefoot and only wearing short shorts and an oversized t-shirt, so I looked naked from the waist down. My life is a joke anyway, so what's one more bloody punch line.

I started toward the gate that went across the entrance to the garage. I pushed on it. Nothing. The damn thing didn't move. Well of course not, what's the point of a gate if it can be pushed over? My key fob to open the gate was upstairs, on my key ring, with the rest of my keys. I just wanted to get past the gate, so I did what any other rational woman would do. I started beating on the gate. I balled up my fits and hit the gate over and over, punctuating it with some kicks for good measure.

I was frustrated, not just because the gate wouldn't open, but because of my life. I had just told the only man I had ever really loved how I feel, and now I was regretting it, because I knew that nothing would ever come from it. Ranger had told me time and again that he doesn't "do" relationships. HA! Neither did I, clearly, but I was at least willing to try. He wouldn't even pull his head out of his ass long enough to realize that we already had a relationship.

I was angry. The last thing I wanted was to see _him_ right now, but here I was stuck in HIS fucking garage, in HIS fucking building, wearing HIS fucking t-shirt! I stripped the shirt off and threw it on the floor, stomping on it for good measure before I kicked it under an SUV. I returned to my attempt at killing the garage gate.

I don't know how long I fought with that damn gate, but I was dimly aware of blood dripping down my arm and over my now naked torso. I ended up sliding to the ground, curling up into a ball of tears and sobbing into my fists.

A while later, a pair of black combat boots settled in my vision. I looked up into Bobby's face. He was looking at me like I was certifiable. I guess maybe I looked it.

"Feel better?" He crouched down beside me and helped me sit up.

"Yes. Thank you." I tried to look dignified, but it's hard to do that when you are mostly naked and covered in your own drying blood. Bobby was looking over me with practiced ease, an unhappy scowl settling over his features.

"Steph, you ripped your stitches. What the hell were you thinking?" He took his own shirt off and slipped it over my head. It was warm, which was a huge plus, because I had started to shiver.

"Bobby, why is it so cold here? I'm so cold." I felt my eyelids starting to droop. He looked up at my face and gently pulled up one of my eyelids, examining my pupils. He placed to fingers on my throat, looking for my pulse. His expression got darker.

"Well, Steph, it's so cold because I think you are going into shock. I need to get you upstairs and warm. The blood loss combined with the stress of the last few days is too much for your body to handle." I was scooped up in his arms and he put my arms around his neck. "Steph, you need to keep talking to me. Tell me what happened today with Ranger."

At the mention of his name, I realized that Ranger wasn't here. I got mad again, although it was hard to be sufficiently angry when I was shaking like a leaf. He didn't even care enough about me to follow me down when I ran, or to at least come and stop me from tearing his building apart. I know the control room had cameras in the garage and that they would report back to him!

I think that Bobby felt my body tense with anger, or else the Merry Men ESP kicked in. "Steph, when you took off like a bat out of Hell, Ranger started off after you, but he was just fuming, so Tank sent him to the gym. He's been attacking the heavy bag like you've been attacking the gate."

Super, I made him mad. I guess that was the end of that friendship. Tears started to roll down my face, but Bobby made me keep talking to him, asking me questions about anything and everything. By the time I was listing my cousins in alphabetical order (that was not my idea. Stupid Bobby), we we're up on the sixth floor, where there was a full infirmary.

Bobby had me lying on one of the tables, covered in several blankets, re-stitching my wound when Tank came in. He just looked at Bobby and smiled. "Plan B, man. Plan B." With that he turned and left. I blinked up at Bobby, who just smiled and continued stitching.

What the hell was going on?


	9. Chapter 9

After Bobby had finished fixing my stitches, he told me to stay tucked up under the blankets until he told me otherwise. He turned back to the counter behind him and started to fill out whatever paperwork it is that doctors fill out. I laid and started at the ceiling, singing Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, silently to myself.

_Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer...._

By the time I had hit forty-two bottles, I thought my head was going to explode. God, this was torture. I knew that Bobby was mad at me because I had been acting childish and had torn my stitches in the process, so I didn't want to interrupt him. But I was dying here. Quiet is not something I do voluntarily. Forced silence I can do, like when I am curled up in bed asleep. That silence I can handle. But this...this wasn't working. I shifted around a little under the blankets and tried to, unobtrusively, clear my throat.

"Um, Bobby?" I said it and then just lay quietly again. I heard a grunt of acknowledgement so I continued. "You said that Ranger was mad. Fuming I believe you said. Why? I mean, why is he so mad?"

Bobby was quiet for a long moment before sighing, dropping his pen and rolling his chair over to the side of my bed. He picked up one of my hands and sighed again.

"Steph, I would love to tell you why Ranger was so upset, because I have theories, but I honestly don't know. But, you gotta believe me when I tell you that he isn't mad at you."

"How can he not be mad at me? I mean I said that I lo....well I said what I said and then I left." A cold realization settled over me. "Oh my god! I just left! What if he was going to say what I said after I said what I said, but then I left so I never let him say what I said after I said it!" I took a breath and looked at Bobby. His face was scrunched up in tight concentration, trying to work through the mess I had just muddled out.

Finally, a smile broke out over his features, and a laugh bubbled out. "Steph, sweetheart, I have no idea what you just said. But I think that more than being mad at you for saying what you said, Ranger is mad that he never told you what you told him." A knowing smirk graced his lips.

I wanted to continue, but his cell phone beeped. Bobby rolled away from the exam table and flipped his phone open, a bigger smile sliding across his face. I was suspicious.

"What? What's with the face?" I tried to raise an eyebrow at him, but I am sure I failed miserably.

He laughed at the face I was making and simply said, "Plan B."

"What does that even mean?" I was starting to get pissed.

"You are about to find..." He got cut off by the door crashing open, Lester and Tank strolling through guffawing like hyenas, carrying a limp Ranger between them, one of his arms slung over each man's shoulders. I was up off the bed like a rocket, in front of the trio, my heart sitting in my throat.

"Is he okay? Is he alive? What happened?" Questions were flying out of my mouth faster than I could control them. My brain finally caught up with the rest of me, and I took quick stock of the situation.

Lester...

Tank...

Laughing...

I saw red, and I turned that anger on Lester. "What. Did. You. DO?!" By now the guys had situated Ranger on the bed I had so recently vacated, allowing Lester to put his hands up in a gesture of surrender...or of fear. I was beyond fuming. I was stalking towards Lester, pushing him closer and closer to the wall at the foot of the bed.

"Steph, Bombshell, you gotta calm down. He's fine."

I was up in his face, nose to nose, and his eyes were crossed to look down at me.

"If he's _fine_," I sneered at that statement, "Then why is he unconscious? Unconscious is not fine."

Tank clapped a hand onto my shoulder, gently pulling me away from Lester. "Steph, I'm going to explain it to you, but you have to relax. Spiking your blood pressure isn't the best idea right now."

I let him lead me over to a chair that had been placed near the head of the bed. I never took my eyes off Lester, who was looking pale and uncomfortable under my gaze. I cut my eyes to the door, and he fled the room. I didn't want him anywhere near me. Okay, that's a lie. I wanted to punch him square in the nose, but I doubt that would do any good.

"Tank, what in the hell is going on?" I leaned over in the chair and brushed a stray hair off Ranger's forehead, allowing my hand to rest on the pillow by his ear.

Tank had pulled a chair up next to mine, propping his feet up on the edge of the bed near Ranger's torso. "Well, Bomber, about a year ago, Lester, Bobby, Ranger and I went after a high bond skip that had been evading us for over a month. Mitchell Harvey. We finally got him. It had been a totally FUBARd takedown, and Ranger got a bullet in the thigh from it." I blanched at him. How had I not known that?

Tank just carried on. "While Ranger was hyped up on the pain killers Bobby had pumped into him, he laid out what has fondly become known as Plan B, but is formally known as 'Batman gets Babe.' Made us write it out and file it and everything. It was, basically, his plan to make sure that when it became clear that the two of you were skirting around your relationship to the point that it drove you both insane, the three of us were to step in and force a situation where Ranger would get his chance to tell you how he felt. So when you flew out of here like you did, and he started tearing apart the heavy bag, I deemed the two of you officially certifiable and initiated Plan B." He paused and looked at me, allowing me a moment to digest the information I had been given.

I just stared at Ranger's inert form, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. After a long moment, I looked back at Tank and nodded, allowing him to continue.

"I locked the gate so that you couldn't leave. I didn't expect you to try and tear the damn thing down, or for you to get hurt, so I'm sorry about that." He looked at me and I smiled back at him. It wasn't his fault I went all psychobitch.

"I couldn't get Ranger's attention long enough to get him to either come get you or come up here and wait for you. I tried to get a hold on him and drag him up here, and all I got was a fist to the face." I looked at him more closely; the making of a bruise was blossoming on his cheek. He continued talking.

"Lester was quite the sharp shooter back in his army days, and he just got a new...toy... shipped to him from a buddy of ours. A river reed blowgun, with tranquilizer darts. He decided to try it out, and he made a clean shot to the flesh of Ranger's upper arm. Went down like a sack of potatoes, and here we are."

He folded his hands behind his head and looked at me, gauging my reaction. I couldn't really blame Tank for putting into action a plan that Ranger had created, even if he was high out of his mind when he made it. My mind was reeling. Why did Ranger even need a plan like this? Why didn't he just come talk to me himself?

"Ranger isn't real good with the emotional conversations." I nearly jumped out of my skin when Tank started talking again; answering the questions I thought I had only asked myself. Damn ESP.

He let his feet drop to the floor and unfolded his hands, and leaned towards me, resting his elbows on his knees. "Steph, let's face facts. You and Ranger are like the King and Queen of Denial Land. You both could live the rest of your lives totally in love with each other, and neither one of you would do a damn thing about it. He may have been high of his ass at the time, but Ranger never makes a plan he doesn't want executed. He wants you to know how he feels."

"How _does_ he feel?" I cut my eyes briefly to Tank, before settling them back on Ranger's face.

"Bomber that is something you are just going to have to ask him. Not my place." With that, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Bobby had been quietly observing the whole exchange from his rolling chair near the counter. I turned my body to face him, but kept one eye on Ranger.

"Is he okay? He'll wake up right?" I was nervous. I mean, I'm sure Ranger had been through much worse, but seeing him be carted in by Lester and Tank, and then to just have him lying in front of me...my heart felt like it would beat through my chest, and my stomach had relocated to somewhere near my feet.

"The tranqs are pretty mild, and based on his height and weight; I give it another half hour, hour tops. If he's not up by then, come find me and I'll run some tests. Stay with him until then okay?" I nodded and turned back to Ranger. Bobby dropped a friendly kiss on the top of my head before strolling out of the room. I settled in to wait, and after five minutes, there was a knock on the door. I made a vaguely affirmative grunt and the door whispered open, allowing Lester to stroll in and drop into the chair that Tank had left empty.

I stared at him for a moment. He was staring at his shoes like they were the most interesting things he had ever seen. He looked like a little boy who had lost their best friend. It broke my heart just a little.

"Les." He slid a glance in my direction. I just smirked at him and held my arms out to him. He grinned and scooped me up, swinging me around like a rag doll, ever mindful of my injuries. I was laughing like an idiot when he finally put me down, keeping me trapped in the circle of his arms.

"I'm sorry Steph. You know I'd never do anything to intentionally upset you, right?" I nodded against his chest.

"I know, buddy. I was just worried, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry." He planted a sloppy, wet kiss on my lips before letting me sit down again.

"You know, Ranger will probably kill you for that." I smiled up at Lester, who was leaning against the door frame.

"Worth it. Now I have something to fantasize about when I am all alone at night." I shook my head; Lester was almost never alone at night. He winked at me and tossed a lecherous grin in my direction before wandering back out the door.

I readjusted myself so I was half sitting in the chair, and half lying across the bed. I threw a glance at the clock before settling my eyes back on Rangers face. I let myself relax into the slow, steady pattern of his breathing, and before long, I had let myself drift into oblivion.

_I know! I know! It has been forever. I'm so sorry. Life doesn't happen when I have an empty calendar. Please review, I love hearing from you._


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